This year has been a challenging one for the royals, following both King Charles and the Princess of Wales receiving cancer diagnoses, and an expert has shared that the news would have been extremely distressing for the late Queen Elizabeth.
Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe said the late Queen would have been “dismayed” following her eldest son’s devastating diagnosis after he had “hit the ground running” as King.
He told OK!: “It was a double whammy of bad news affecting two of those closest to her, so it would have upset her terribly had she still been alive.”
He said: “But I think she would have been extremely proud of how they’ve both handled things. The Queen always had that ‘keep calm and carry on’ work ethic, and we’ve really seen that continue with the King.
“He has kept going, and you get the impression he’s been doing as much as he physically can. I wonder if his doctors might privately be a bit annoyed that he hasn’t rested as much as he could have.”
King Charles recieved his cancer diagnosis less than a year after his coronation, and during an unrelated procedure for an enlarged prostate. The beginning of chemotherapy treatment followed, which he later revealed caused him to lose his sense of taste.
Duncan Larcombe added: “The Queen would have been dismayed because her son had really hit the ground running as King. He was enjoying lots of public walkouts and handshakes, and everything was going well. Then the diagnosis came as a bolt from the blue and completely derailed everything.”
The King returned to light duties in late April, while in June, he was out in force for the Trooping the Colour event, also known as the King’s Birthday Parade. Despite the health challenges, King Charles presented an imposing figure in full ceremonial uniform of the Irish Guards at what was his biggest engagement since the cancer diagnosis.
His “darling daughter-in-law”, Kate, also made her first official appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony after she announced in March that she had cancer.
It was noted that having Princess Kate by his side was incredibly meaningful to him.
At the time, BBC Royal reporter Jennie Bond told the Daily Mirror: “He was obviously thrilled to have Catherine alongside him. It’s probably the best birthday present of all.”
The Princess stood in between the monarch and her husband, Prince William, along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Jennie Bond added: “It is also a signal that the monarch is strong – something which is especially important as it’s been a tough few months. But they are really getting through it, side by side.”
The Princess of Wales, being a sociable and hard-working member of the Royal Family, would have no doubt struggled with having to reduce her appearances, and royal author Duncan says that the late Queen would have had great compassion for her.
“Elizabeth would have greatly sympathised for Kate, especially as a relatively young mother. Unfortunately, these days, we almost expect this kind of thing for a 75-year-old like Charles, but we don’t really expect it for a fit and healthy 42-year-old.”
He went on to share that he believes the Queen would have admired Kate’s composed display of resilience. He added: “I think she would have been tremendously proud of how she’s dealt with it, especially with such a brave video. We all worry about our kids and how they’re growing up, but when one of our jobs as a mother is to bring up a future king, the stakes couldn’t be higher.”
The Princess of Wales shared a two-minute video about her cancer diagnosis following speculation, and the royal expert suggested that “it’s debatable whether Kate would have released a video like that in the days when there wasn’t wild speculation about her health”.
Had the Queen still been with us, Duncan said “she would have given words of support” and shared the “spirit of optimism”, while also being highly supportive of her grandson, Prince William who she shared a close bond with.
